With a Girl of Black Soil

VANCOUVER PREMIERE ► “The latest quiet wonder from the ever-fertile world of South Korean cinema” (Neil Young, Hollywood Reporter), With a Girl of Black Soil, Jeon Soo-Il’s most renowned film, won awards at numerous international festivals, and has drawn comparisons to both Emile Zola and François Truffaut for its beautiful, sometimes bleak portrait of a childhood lived in difficult economic circumstances. The film is set in a small village in Kangwon Province, where 9-year-old Young-Lim (Yu Yun-Mi) lives with her coal-miner father and a mentally challenged brother. When her dad abruptly loses his job and takes to drinking, the burden of caring for the family falls entirely to Young-Lim, amidst a rapidly worsening situation. “The kind of masterfully executed, emotionally impactful cinema that all admirers of the medium should discover . . . Its distinction deserves to raise writer-director Jeon to the kind of international profile enjoyed by his countrymen Kim Ki-Duk and Hong Sang-Soo . . . The superb contribution of cinematographer Kim Sung-Tai is only one outstanding aspect . . . The star of the show is 8-year-old newcomer Yu Yun-Mi. She’s simply breathtaking . . . [and] emphatically deserves a place in the pantheon of great child performances” (Young). Colour, 35mm, in Korean with English subtitles. 89 mins.